Fresh Tart

The table is set.

The Alice Medrich chocolate souffles - not too rich, nicely chocolatey - are ready for the oven.  They're both gluten-free and do-ahead.  If they washed dishes, they'd be perfect.  (That giant one in the back is for John!)

Cauliflower is blanched.  It still needs a coating of breadcrumbs, then it will be ready for the fryer we fondly call "fondue."  (Recipes for fondues and sauces are here.)

It's kind of crazy how perfectly Christmas-y all this snow is!  After Christmas, it's just...a lot of snow.  But for now, it's lovely.

Yeah.

As I've mentioned, I'm trying to eat as little sugar as possible.  So far, so good, although I absolutely love pumpkin pie and didn't want to miss out this holiday season.  Since pumpkin itself is quite nutritious, I decided to experiment with a classic, cream-based pumpkin filling (the best kind, in my opinion) and see how low I could take the sugar and still enjoy it.  (I've already been baking the filling without crust for years, since it's the custard I really enjoy.)

Three tablespoons of brown sugar turned out to be the sweet spot, nicely complimenting the naturally sweet pumpkin.  I added just a pinch of sugar to the softly whipped cream for the full effect, et voila, a lovely pumpkin custard that will definitely fill a craving for those of you trying to keep holiday sweets to a dull roar.

And in case you're wanting the real deal?  No problem!  The original recipe (with a delicious gingersnap crust enhancement) is here at Joy of Baking.  It's all good.

PS If you're shopping around for a turkey and ideas for roasting it, check my post last week on Dara & Co./Minnesota Monthly for Herb-Roasted Turkey and Gravy, and don't miss Chef Scott Pampuch's excellent Star Tribune video on how to carve it!

Hint-of-Sweet Pumpkin Custard
Adapted from www.joyofbaking.com
Serves 8-10

Note: The custard can also be baked in 4-oz. ramekins.

soft butter
3 large eggs
2 c. fresh pumpkin puree or 1 - 15 oz. can pure pumpkin
1/2 c. heavy whipping cream
3 Tbsp. brown sugar
2 tsp. ground cinnamon
1/2 tsp. ground ginger
1/8 tsp. ground cloves
few gratings of fresh nutmeg

softly whipped cream sweetened with a pinch of sugar

Preheat oven to 300 degrees F.  Butter a pie plate.  In a large bowl lightly whisk the eggs.  Add the remaining ingredients and stir to combine.  Pour the mixture into the prepared pie plate.  Bake custard for 45 minutes or until the filling is just set (center will look wet; a knife inserted about 1 inch from side of pan will come out almost clean.)  Cool custard to room temperature and serve, or cover cooled custard and chill.

Every time I go to the farmer's market, I come home with more berries - yesterday I found strawberries still poking around, and raspberries and blueberries out in force.

Man do I love this time of year!

If you, like I, get a little carried away and buy far more berries than your family can eat in a day or two, then this crumble is for you.

And if you, like I, get a little carried away and buy peaches, cherries, rhubarb, apricots, and plums too, then this crumble is definitely for you.

For that's the wonderful thing about crumbles - you can layer any ripe summer fruit under a crisp lid of streusel and it will be unforgettably delicious.  Tart and sweet, soft and crunchy, lightly buttery with a hint of cinnamon.  For about 15 minutes of effort.  How great is that?

Man do I love this time of year!

Note: Blueberries are particularly perfect right now, so after you make this crumble, grab a few pints of the blues and make my friend Susie's blueberry kuchen.  I did just that last weekend, and entered a couple of pans in the Kingfield Market's Berry Bake-Off for fun...and won the Critics' Choice Award!  Just like this crumble recipe, blueberry kuchen is so easy to pull together and keeps the spotlight on the berries.  I posted the recipe last week at Dara & Co./Minnesota Monthly Magazine's blog, check it out.  And get berry baking!

Summer Berry Crumbles
Adapted from www.foodnetwork.com
Serves 6

I like the berries a little tart, a nice contrast with the sweet streusel topping and ice cream.  If you add rhubarb, however, you'll likely need to add more sugar.  I bake these in 4 oz. ramekins to keep the serving size in check, but you could bake this in one large quiche/tart pan as well (add 5-10 minutes to overall baking time).

1/3 c. all-purpose flour
1/3 c. light brown sugar
2 Tbsp. sugar
1/2 tsp. cinnamon
pinch salt
1/3 c. oats
4 Tbsp. cold butter, cut into small pieces
3 c. mixed berries (can include diced peaches, apricots, plums, rhubarb, cherries...)
1 Tbsp. cornstarch
1/3 c. sugar

Preheat oven to 350F.  Line a baking sheet with parchment paper.  Set 6 4-oz. ramekins on the baking sheet.

In a medium bowl, combine flour, brown sugar, 2 Tbsp. sugar, cinnamon, salt, and oats.  Use your fingers to work butter into dry ingredients.  Chill.

In a medium bowl, combine fruit, cornstarch, and 1/3 c. sugar; toss to coat.  Evenly divide the fruit mixture between the 6 ramekins.  Top with the crumble topping.  Bake until tops are golden and fruit is bubbly (it will bubble out of the ramekins), about 35 minutes.  Cool for 20 minutes.

Serve warm with ice cream.

What do you bake a 17-year old with perfectly clear skin for her birthday?  Chocolate cake with killer chocolate icing, of course.  Or cupcakes, in this case, because they're so damn cute (and because you can easily send the leftovers far, far away, like to your husband's office).  Yes, my stepdaughter Sasha is 17, an unbelievable number.  Nathan is about to be 14, John's about to be 50, and I've got one foot in the grave myself.  Good Lord.

But wait...we're celebrating!  Spring birthdays and Spring itself and this cool news... I'm going to be blogging weekly - in addition to this blog - over at Minnesota Monthly magazine's website for Dara Moskowitz Grumdahl's new venture, Dara & Company.  I'll be joining fellow local writers:

• Jason DeRusha (WCCO & Minnesota Monthly, Twitter @DeRushaEats)
• Marie Flanagan (Reetsyburger blog, You Are Where You Eat blog, Twitter @reetsyburger)
• Elizabeth Dehn (Beauty Bets blog, Twitter @beautybets)
• And of course Dara Moskowitz Grumdahl (senior editor and food critic at Minnesota Monthly, four-time James Beard Award winner & current nominee, editor in chief of Real Food magazine, author of Drink This! Wine Made Simple, Twitter @DearDara)

Yeah, that's a seriously talented group of people to be associated with and I am over-the-moon excited and honored, sheesh.  There will be five posts each week, one from each of us, mine on Tuesdays about...cooking at home.  Check us out!

And oh, the cake!  This is a classic recipe, moist and easy, straight out of my Grandma Meyer's Bethany Reformed Church cookbook from Clara City, Minnesota.  Yes ma'am it is!  The icing is my killer chocolate sauce recipe, posted several times before, just a little chocolate and butter and cream.  Mmmm hmmm.

Bethany Reformed Chocolate Cake

This makes two, full 9-inch cakes, or 24 cupcakes.  I've halved the recipe successfully.  You could bake the full recipe in a bundt or 9x13 pan (adjust baking time accordingly).

1 3/4 c. sugar

1 3/4 c. flour

3/4 c. cocoa powder (use the good stuff, it works well)

1 1/2 tsp. baking powder

1 1/2 tsp. baking soda

1 tsp. salt

2 eggs

1 c. milk

1/2 c. vegetable oil

2 tsp. vanilla extract

3/4 c. boiling water

Preheat oven to 350 degrees F.  Grease and flour two 9-inch cake pans.  In the bowl of a mixer, stir together the dry ingredients.  In a small bowl, whisk together the eggs, milk, oil, and vanilla.  With the mixer on low, add the liquid ingredients to the dry ingredients until just combined - scrape down the bowl.  Turn the mixer to medium speed and beat for 2 minutes.  Turn the mixer to its lowest speed and slowly add the boiling water.  Turn off the mixer and stir by hand until the batter is just combined; it will be quite thin.  Pour batter into prepared pans and bake for 30-35 minutes or until toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean.  Cool cakes in their pans for 10 minutes, then invert onto racks and cool completely.  Frost with your favorite icing.

Killer Chocolate Sauce

Makes about 2 cups

Good on everything!  Especially as a poured icing for chocolate (or any) cake, or warm over ice cream or cream puffs.  Stirred into hot milk to taste, it makes incredible cocoa.

1/2 c. sugar

6 oz. semi-sweet chocolate, coarsely chopped (worth buying good chocolate)

1 c. whipping cream

3 Tbsp. butter

1 tsp. vanilla extract

Combine all but vanilla in a medium saucepan over medium-low heat.  Bring to a simmer, stirring several times, cook for 5 minutes, stirring several times.  Remove from heat, carefully stir in vanilla.  Cool to just-warm before pouring over cake or serving over ice cream or cream puffs.

Can be cooled completely and reheated later.  Keeps well for up to one week in the refrigerator.